Whether you’re a caregiver for a family member, trying to squeeze every last dime, or juggling the priorities of everyday life, we all deal with stress. Here’s a not-so-fun fact: Stressing about all of this excess, well, stress, could wreck more than a good manicure. You could be sacrificing your health and mental well-being, too. Worse, you might not even realize how bad off you are. Check these unexpected signs you’re stressed:
Experiencing Memory Issues?
Memory loss: Can’t recall the details of the staff meeting you just left? Chronic stress can expose the hippocampus, the area of the brain that controls your short-term memory, to excess amounts of the stress hormone cortisol, which can mess with your ability to remember things. To get your memory back, you’ll need to address the root cause of your stress. Until then, take copious notes.
Your Hair Starts Falling Out
Hair loss. Your hair could be falling out for myriad reasons—from certain medications to genetics. Or stress could be doing a number on your tresses. Stress-induced hair loss can be caused by several conditions, including alopecia areata, an autoimmune disorder in which white blood cells attack hair follicles and cause hair to fall out, or telogen effluvium, which can cause sudden and extreme (as much as 70 percent) hair loss. Fortunately, telogen effluvium hair loss usually reverses after the stressful event that caused it, according to the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology.
You’re Experiencing Nosebleeds
Nosebleeds. Experts debate whether stress triggers nosebleeds, but some studies show that patients who experience nosebleeds get them after stressful situations. One study in the British Medical Journal suggests this could be related to the spikes in blood pressure common in stressed people.
You’re Having Problems With Digestion
Dry heaves. Retching can be a sign of anxiety. Coupled with stress, anxiety can lead to vomiting and cyclic vomiting syndrome, a condition in which people experience nausea and vomiting over an extended period of time, often daily. To treat? Get plenty of rest, drink water, and meditate to calm the stress.
You’re Sweating More Than Normal
Excess sweating. We all sweat more when we’re stressed, but some of us have a condition called hyperhidrosis, excessive sweating, particularly of the palms and feet. Yoga and meditation can help reduce stress-related sweating—in you and others. A recent study found that stress sweat gives off signals people around you can detect, possibly causing them to be stressed out, too.
You Are Feeling Run Down
Weakened immunity. Prolonged stress triggers the release of catecholamines, hormones that help regulate your immune system, and shrinks your thymus gland, which produces infection-fighting white blood cells.